According to the current plan, the first American landing on the Moon under the Artemis program is expected to take place in 2028. However, experts point out that there will be no backup landing module, emergency shelter, or other vehicle on the satellite’s surface that could be used for crew evacuation.
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The report notes that astronauts will work in the region of the Moon’s south pole. This area is characterized by numerous craters, large rocks, and steep slopes, so the risk of emergency landing here is significantly higher than in the locations of previous Apollo missions.
Inspectors warn: if the landing module overturns or malfunctions, the crew would lose any chance of returning to orbit.
“If astronauts encounter a life-threatening emergency in space or on the Moon’s surface, NASA would have no means to rescue the crew,” the report states.
Currently, NASA has contracts with the companies SpaceX and Blue Origin, which are developing lunar landing modules. However, the agency did not require these companies to create a backup device that could be used in a crisis.
Canadian space analyst Brian Hurley believes this problem can be solved by delivering a backup landing module with oxygen, water, food supplies, and life support systems to the Moon’s surface before the first crewed mission, Forbes writes.
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According to him, the cost of such a project would be about 3–5 billion dollars. This is a relatively small amount compared to the overall Artemis program budget, which has already exceeded 100 billion dollars.
The Office of the Inspector General also reminded that after the end of the Space Shuttle program in 2011, NASA has not developed full-fledged crew rescue systems for space missions.
Experts warn that a disaster without the possibility of evacuation could not only cost astronauts their lives but also undermine the entire future of the Artemis program.
In turn, NASA management informed inspectors that it agrees to reassess risks and supplement plans with long-term crew survival strategies on the Moon’s surface.
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